We allow this to happen…

Lady, below, was found in a dark Buffalo basement during a drug raid on January 31st. In addition to suffering from “extreme starvation,” the dog, according to the Erie County SPCA, “is covered with pressure sores on her hips, and the fourth digit of her left front foot has been completely torn away. Most concerning are the tumors on various parts of [her] body.” Each of the four owners – three males and one female – has been charged with one count of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor.

We cannot protect dogs from being starved to near-death when anyone can acquire dogs, and when there exists no serious deterrent to starving them. Anyone can acquire dogs because dogs are things to acquire, and there is no serious deterrent because serious deterrents are reserved for violations of others’ rights. Dogs are not “others”; they have no rights. Vicious circle defined.

Adopt, don’t buy, for first and foremost, production must end. (With millions being dumped at shelters each year, and millions more hopelessly roaming the streets, the “ethical breeder” is a myth.) Then, sterilize to extinction. It’s rational; it’s humane; it’s right. Until such time, all the skin-and-bone “Ladies” out there are on us.

PETA’s language about “overburdened” shelter workers, and about giving animals what Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s founder, calls “the gift of euthanasia,” and how “it was the best gift they’ve ever had,” is eerily similar. In her case, she also believes she is the hero and those who try to stop her are betraying the animals. She once blasted a No Kill supporter by stating: “How dare you pretend to help animals and turn your back on those who want an exit from an uncaring world!” Indeed, Newkirk-through-PETA has stated that blaming shelters for killing animals is like blaming hospitals for killing patients. Is Newkirk trying to tell us something?

Unfortunately, with no formal psychological evaluation to support a diagnosis, we are left with pure conjecture. But given the similarity of language and the acts themselves: the killing, the death squads, the indoctrination against and hateful denunciation of No Kill and the proactive efforts to stop communities from embracing No Kill principles, this may be as close as we ever come to understanding the motivations of PETA’s President. Yet even absent a definitive diagnosis, this much is clear: PETA’s killing has claimed the lives of more than 29,000 animals in roughly the last decade, and this number includes healthy, adoptable puppies and kittens. And when asked by a reporter what efforts they make to find animals homes, PETA had no comment. The truthful answer in the vast majority of cases—“none”—would have been more damning.

In any case, pets reproducing (cats need no help from humans for that!), and animals being kept as pets isn’t going to go away any time soon. This is something that has been going on for centuries. I would suggest instead that you focus on promoting proper care and nutrition for the animals who are already here, and are already pets.

Slavery, too, went “on for centuries” and for most of its existence, wasn’t “going away any time soon.” Would you also have advised the abolitionists to make better use of their time? Thanks for the suggestion, but my focus is just fine. And, by the way, Ingrid Newkirk is more a voice for animals than someone obsessed with feline diets could ever hope to be.

When communities cooperate, No Kill counties/cities can be formed, i.e., New York’s Tompkins County and San Francisco, CA. Mass-slaughter is not the answer. I don’t know how tens of thousands of healthy dogs and cats can be killed by Peta, but they won’t receive a donation from me. Any group can form a No Kill community with a lot of planning and hard work. It is a system. Terminally ill animals are not forced to live in misery. We can’t prevent child abuse, but sterility of all humanity isn’t the answer, either.

It seems to me that those that advocate sterilization to extinction as basically the only way to prevent animal abuse (as they refuse to believe that no-kill shelters and stronger laws and enforcement can do anything) are allowing perfection to be the enemy of the good. Endlessly repeating the mantra of sterilization while apparently minimizing and sometimes ridiculing the work of others such as yourself to put more practical plans to work, only serves to allow for more animal suffering.

Ingrid Newkirk is absolutely correct in her position on “no kill” sheltering. There is no such thing and anyone who believes that doesn’t comprehend the magnitude of homeless animals problem. The so-called “no-kill” shelters or rescues are really “leave the killing to someone else” organizations. Just TRY to get any “no kill” cat rescue to accept unwanted cats. I have tried on several occasions to help place homeless and feral kittens. Not a ONE in the capital region would help, even though I offered to foster. So guess where the cats went?
Newkirk is also correct that many of these “rescues” are in fact hoarders who keep the animals in squalid, unhealthy and uncared for condition as was the case with Saratogas Estherville No Kill Shelter that Holly Cheever helped shut down in the 90’s. Until the day comes when every shelter/rescue accepts EVERY animal, people need to keep their mouth shut.

I’m sorry Magpies, ” no kill” simply doesn’t work. A shelter cant become truly no kill with resorting to turning animals away. and its WRONG not to ask what happened to those animals turned away. Do an experiment. Look up no kill rescues and shelters and find their surrender policy. Lot of times there isn’t one. There are also many complexities involved, large cities take in over a hundred animals a day and can’t possibly house them all.. NYS law mandates that shelters spay/neuter before adopting or have the adopter sign a contrat they will do it themselves. The law leaves purposely untouched pet stores and breeders. Any and all effort should be focused on no births. I also disagree with using funds to keep debilitated animals alive. Until mandatory spay/neuter for EVERYONE is put in place and mass funding applied to the most efficient way to stop this problem – no birth.

No Kill systems are set up within communities. Animals are altered (usually by vet students at low or no cost) and animals and services are kept within the community. Someone outside the community is not permitted to dump animals, for example. The information is available on their site or for the asking (email or attend one of their meetings). I’m not able to spend much more time on this subject.

Magpies, I’ve done the research and Winograds 10 point plan. You haven’t addressed what happens to the animals turned away from “no kill” shelters. There is a fate worse than euthanasia and I personally witnessed it at Estherville. People concerned with animal welfare have to think from a point of logic, not emotion. The no kill idea is based on the premise that open access shelters just kill for the sake of killing. While many shelters could be far better managed to promote adoption, many have been doing some or all of Winnograds 10 points long before he came along. Until spay/neuter is mandatory and the idea of only purebred are good, we’re going to have this problem. No kill promoters use outright lies as shown in one YouTube video where the guest speaker proclaimed New York offers free spay/neuter and they go out to the public with mobile s/n. Don’t know what New York she’s talking about. The APF tried mobile s/n at very low or free cost – it didn’t work.